PHOTO: A new wildfire start was reported Monday evening 15 miles south of Mesquite in Nevada's Virgin Mountain Instant Study Area within the Gold Butte National Monument. By yesterday afternoon, smoke from the fire was visible across the St. George area thanks to northbound winds.
Overnight between Tuesday and Wednesday, the Virgin Mountain Fire was aerially mapped at 1,232 acres. It is currently 0% contained, and is being actively suppressed by a crew of 100 firefighters on the ground, in fire engines and from the air. No evacuations have been ordered and no structures have yet been threatened.
The fire was determined to have been started by lightning. It adds to a long list of wildfires that have ravaged the Western United States this summer.